Is Your Brain Controlling Your Weight?

If you’re like most women I know, you’ve been on the weight loss journey for years, maybe even decades. You’ve tried diets. Tracked your macros. Worried about the side effect of the weight loss drugs. And maybe you even had surgery.

But no matter how hard you try, the weight comes back. Food still has power over your brain and even though you know what you “should” be doing, you just can’t do it.

It’s My Own Story

I get it. I’ve been there, done that.

As a registered dietitian, specializing in weight loss, I was living a lie.

• I would be “good” all day, and then binge at night, after everyone went to bed.
• I was constantly trying to out-exercise my eating.
• I had stashes of “treats” hidden everywhere in case I needed “something.”

I even remember stuffing my suitcases with chocolate when I’d go on trips because I was worried I wouldn’t have my after dinner treat. Truthfully, I had to have chocolate after every meal and often in between, but I didn’t want to admit that.

I Would Lose Weight and Gain It Back. Again. And Again. And Again.

No matter what I tried, I couldn’t control my cravings and emotional eating. And so I’d gain the weight back.

And each time I blamed myself. I should know better. I have no willpower. Something must be wrong with me. It felt like I’d never be able to lose the weight and keep it off.

But that wasn’t the truth. It wasn’t a lack of willpower. It wasn’t because I wasn’t trying hard enough.

It Was My Brain

As it turns out, cravings and emotional eating are more than just fleeting desires. They’re signals from our brain, tied to neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.

Serotonin is the brain chemical that helps us feel calm and relaxed. And dopamine is often referred to as the “reward hormone,” the one that makes you feel happy and gives you pleasure.

When carbs break down into sugars in the body, they trigger the release of serotonin and dopamine. This creates feelings of calm, pleasure, and satisfaction. And then you want more.

This reward loop encourages us to repeat the behavior, which results in having a craving the next time we need an emotional lift. In essence, we’re hard-wiring our brains to use food to feel better.

Our cravings and emotional eating are also rooted in our brain’s natural response to stress. This is why cravings often arise during challenging moments. It’s the brain’s way of seeking out a quick reward to counteract the stress or sadness.

Your Brain Drives You to Use Food to Cope with Stress and Your Emotions

The best diet in the world won’t help you lose weight because your cravings and emotional eating are being triggering by the stress you’re experiencing or the emotions you’re feeling.

Feeling sad, lonely, or bored are common triggers, but just about any emotion can signal your brain to seek out food.

This is where diets really backfire. Your brain is looking for a way to help you feel better, and it’s been hardwired to know that food will do the trick. Deprivation and restriction when you’re already feeling low is likely to make you want to eat even more.

Until you address what’s going on in your brain and with your emotions, you’ll continue to fight – and lose – an uphill battle.

Also read, How Do Emotions Trigger Cravings and Emotional Eating?

Resolve Your Triggers and Rewire Your Brain

Because your brain has been wired to turn to food to handle your stress and your emotions, the way to stop your cravings and emotional eating is to resolve your emotional triggers and rewire your brain.

And when you do this everything changes!

• Your triggers are gone because you learned how to safely feel, process, and release your negative emotions instead of stuffing them down with food.
• Your brain and body have learned how to raise your serotonin and dopamine, without the carbs.
• You’ve rewired your brain to help your body feel better without using food.

I Lost the Weight and Kept It Off

Resolving my emotional triggers and rewiring my brain was a game changer! It was like I’d found the missing piece of the weight loss puzzle.

• I stopped secretly binge eating popcorn and waffles with butter and powdered sugar after my family went to bed.
• I no longer had stashes of treats hidden at home and work in case I needed “something.”
• I stopped the 24/7 obsession I had with food and the scale.
• I lost the weight and kept if off.

That was over 15 years ago, and I’m happy (and proud) to say that I’ve kept the weight off.

My eating has evolved for the better over the years and my choices are “healthier” overall, but I know this wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t resolved my emotions and rewired my brain.

It’s easy for me to say YES to the foods that I know are best for my body and to pass on the other stuff. I’m not on a diet. I don’t feel deprived.

It may sound corny, but these days I eat from a place of love and respect for myself and my body. And that feels pretty darn good!

If you’d like to learn how to make this happen for YOU, I warmly invite you to watch my free training on How to Stop Your Cravings and Emotional Eating. At the end of the training you’ll have the opportunity to schedule a complimentary call with me to learn more. I look forward to meeting you.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you feel like you’re on a diet? Are you on a diet? How successful is this approach, in your opinion? Do you think your emotions and stress are the main culprit to your gaining weight?